


Small steps

by mewi_gabi



Series: My stupid and gay Willry (translation) [1]
Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, BUT HENRY DOENS'T, Calm and insecure Henry Emily, College, Comfort, Developing Relationship, Eventual Romance, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Just 2 men in the middle of 60s trying to realize of their feelings, Love Confessions, M/M, Roommates, Sociopath William Afton, Their friendship is so gay and..., They just like each other so much omfg, William has a soft spot with Henry, William is a sensitive british boy, William is just a dork in love, William realizes of it, they're probably 20-21
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:34:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29863014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mewi_gabi/pseuds/mewi_gabi
Summary: Henry and William are friends while they study and try to help each other, inadvertently ending up… loving each other.
Relationships: William Afton | Dave Miller & Henry Emily, William Afton | Dave Miller/Henry Emily
Series: My stupid and gay Willry (translation) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2195523
Kudos: 18





	1. Presentation

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Pequeños pasos](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29126874) by [mewi_gabi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mewi_gabi/pseuds/mewi_gabi). 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For a long time, Henry was preparing a project that was important to him. He wanted to present it and he did, being rejected.

Henry hugged his knees as he tried to stifle his crying. He was completely alone. Isolated from students, teachers and anyone who might see it. He didn't have time to run to his dorm, but luckily he hid behind a wall of his university, outdoors and hidden in the big shadow that was caused thanks to the contrast of the sun.

Even though Henry was alone, he felt the need to be quiet.

That day Henry just exploded. It was like all the hours of dedication, research, experimentation and even practice to present it… had been in vain.

Of course, someone like him couldn't be hired for his ideas. Those businessmen who went to college looking for creative projects and ideas intimidated him. Their visit had been notified in advance so all students could work on their projects. Nerves invaded Henry as soon as he saw them coming, he felt like his heart was about to escape out of his chest. He sat for almost two hours until he was called to present, being the last of all. The men were exhausted, waiting for the presentations to finish at once for all, already listing the best projects, thinking that the last one would probably not impress them.

“Look, we are tired, is this good or not?” one of the men asked, causing Henry to start sweating moreover his own sweat.

Henry began to doubt whether his project was really worth it, but he knew he had to answer quickly. “ _Yeah, I-I guess…_ ” he replied as he nodded.

The men then rearranged themselves, preparing to hear one more project. Henry's heart pounded as he tried to position his materials. On his nerves he threw away some of those and tried to laugh softly to cover it up, making it easier for them to read how he felt.

After a few moments, he began to explain and show what he had prepared with great dedication. He tried not to look into their eyes directly as he explained and stuttered, but close places like mouths or foreheads. He learned long ago that direct eye contact was too intimidating for him, but he tried to hide it over time.

The men quickly knew that Henry's project was not what they were looking for, especially coming from someone so insecure, begging for acceptance. He wasn't directly begging it, that's clear, but Henry's insecurity suggested that any slight rejection could break him.

Henry looked at them as if he was from far below them being that, ironically, he was standing and they were sitting in their chairs. He really couldn't figure out what they were thinking and that made his feet tremble almost noticeably. As difficult to read as his parents.

Suddenly, interrupting Henry's memories, a hand touched his shoulder. “Are you okay?” a soft voice but with a strong British accent was present, Henry immediately knew _who_ it was.

“ _Oh, William,_ ” Henry whispered as he wiped some of his tears, using the sleeve of his coat. “I didn't want to… I… _agh_.” He finally hid his head, hugging his knees again and feeling, not only insufficient but fragile.

William leaned his back against the same wall as Henry. It was a pretty fresh place thanks to the immense shade it generated. Softly he glided until his butt touched the ground, sitting next to his friend. William's fingers gently touched Henry's hair, starting to stroke it, scratching it with his fingertips. “You don't have to tell me, alright?” William lay his head on Henry's shoulder. “You know that I'm here if you need me.”

Henry was still not used to the noticeably caring side of his friend and roommate. It confused him a bit but at least it managed to get him out of his dark hole. He kindly raised his head, wanting to connect his gaze with William's, even if his eyes were red from crying.

“It's okay for you to cry,” William said, looking into his eyes. “Try to let it all out, okay?” he said before smiling sweetly at him, trying to give some comfort.

Henry stopped hugging his knees, smiling softly. His nose was red but it didn't bother him to show the consequences of his crying with William. “ _I think i-it's over…_ ” he said almost whispering, using the voice that was already recovering from the breakdown. William's simple presence and tender understanding were already enough to make him forget the ridicule he made that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After that they went for ice cream.


	2. Empathy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry stays up all night studying, until dawn breaks and William wakes up.

It was dawn and Henry didn't sleep in the whole night, even when William insisted on accompanying him and he even tried to make him sleep, but Henry did not agree. William simply saw that it was a waste of time to convince him and just went to sleep, leaving Henry alone with his repeated cups of coffee; tired but unable to sleep.

Henry sighed, taking one of the last sips of his coffee. Sitting in front of his desk. He admired his stacked books, it made him think of all the hours he spent studying that night. Sometimes he studied out of sheer inertia to forget that his surroundings existed, putting himself a focus and avoiding having to think. He preferred it a thousand times more than sleeping all day, which only worsened his mood.

Henry set his mug on his desk over his papers, not really caring if it got to smudge his notes. He turned his head in William's direction. Looking at him for a few moments and… he smiled a little by accident.

He got up from his seat, walked over to his own bed and sat on the edge of it, just to look at his friend some more. Henry rested his head on his hands, settling to watch him sleep. William was a mess. He was uncovered, with the pillow between his feet and with his shirt pulled up showing his belly button. Henry laughed a little, he couldn't believe that someone so catastrophic to sleep could exist. And still, he seemed to be sleeping well.

His eyes were closing, feeling comfortable between his warm hands and watching William.

Suddenly, rays of light hit William's face and he woke up from discomfort. As soon as Henry heard William's groans, he shook his head and tried to hide what he was doing.

“ _Ahg…_ ” William growled, scratching his eyes and seeing Henry sitting on his bed. Then his gaze went to his friend's desk with the lamp on, making it obvious that he didn't sleep in all night. William softly sighed and looked back at Henry. He admired his tired and slightly smiling face. “… Nice dark circles,” he said to Henry, smiling gently.

Henry let out a soft laugh, looking back at William. “How was your sleep?” he asked.

His friend, still on his bed, stretched a bit. “I slept well… but I would have liked ya to get some sleep too.” William slowly sat on his bed, blinking a few times and trying not to rush the process.

“I told you that there are times when I just can't sleep… My head doesn't let me,” he said with a small smile.

William's smile disappeared and he felt like doing something risky. “Come here,” he said, already sitting on the edge of his own bed.

Henry raised an eyebrow, not getting the point of going with him. “For what?” he asked.

“Just come here. Simple as that,” William replied, looking him straight in the eyes. His eyes never bothered or intimidated Henry like other people, actually, they always made him feel accompanied in some way.

Henry simply nodded, even if he didn't quite understand what William meant by that. He got up from his bed and walked over to his friend's, sitting next to him. “Like this?”

“ _Mhm…_ ” William muttered as he nodded softly, then decided to act. His arms wrapped Henry around and they slowly lay him down on his bed. Sticking his chest on top of his belly and accommodating his head on Henry's chest. William was already thinking about skipping class with him. Henry was probably going to stay the rest of the morning anyway.

“W-What do you want to do with this?” asked Henry.

William was already getting tired of his questions. “I just want to sleep with you, that's all,” he said, closing his eyes, trying to sleep again.

Henry laughed softly. “But you just woke up, silly…”

“I know,” he replied, just wanting to hold him and feel more of his warmth. At one point he took one of Henry's hands only to place it over his head, inviting him to stroke.

Henry took a deep breath and agreed. He moved his hand gently and with his fingers caressed his friend's hair, relaxing both him and William. After a few moments, he stopped stroking him only to wrap his arms around him, already feeling addicted to his tender warmth. His heart slowed down, his heartbeat was calmly and slowly started to make him fall asleep, the sleep he sought so much that night. Taking his roommate in his arms. Really feeling good. Natural. As things should be.

On William's side, he was satisfied with what he had achieved. He could hear Henry's delicate heartbeat and his gentle grip. One of his hands travelled up to Henry's head, stroking his tousled hair for a few moments. His hand lowered until he began to stroke one of Henry's cheeks.

“Pff… you don't have to do that…” Henry whispered opening his eyes, referring to the caress.

“Ya don't like it?” William asked simply.

Henry's gaze shifted, staring at the wall. “It's not that… It just feels a bit weird.”

William listened and took his hand away. Henry liked it and for some reason, he felt in denial, so he simply stroked his hair again, knowing it relaxed him.

“Are you really gonna skip morning class just because you wanna sleep?” Henry asked.

William raised his head a little and looked him in the eyes. “Yes, _and stop procrastinating your sleep…_ ” he said, really wanting him to sleep.

Henry's tired eyes closed again. He adjusted himself and lay on his side facing the wall, dragging William with him and moving further into the bed together. William just hugged him a little tighter, not wanting to leave his warm side.

“ _Don't worry about class…_ ” William said softly, almost whispering. “ _I'm sure I can borrow some good notes for you later… okay?_ ” He closed his eyes and began to caress Henry's back, thinking that it would probably make him sleepier.

“ _Are you sure everything is going to be okay?_ ” Henry whispered, not looking at him but holding him tightly, enjoying his company and serene warmth.

William nodded gently as he hugged him. “ _Of course_ ,” he stated, just continuing with his caresses.

Henry was always easy to read, even if he tried to hide it. Not because of shame, but because he was someone very easy to hurt and intimidate. Most people decided to mess with him only because he was someone easy to take advantage of, and those who didn't, simply believed that he was not interesting and that he was just someone sad, insecure and boring on the inside.

William knew that Henry was like him, they were both _**broken**_. That was probably the initial reason why he began to empathize with him as he did with no one else. However, he wasn't intending to cure his or Henry's problems. He knew that was impossible. But he did pretend to learn from him and try to teach him things as well. Not taking care of him like a baby, William was not his mother, _he was_ … just his roommate and probably his only friend. William knew he meant a lot to Henry, even if his eyes didn't see him the same way he did. He knew that they were both important to each other, in different ways but still just as valid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> William, that was kinda gay. That's why I like you, bri'ish boy.


	3. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry tries to ask William for some help about his consistent nerves when speaking in front of many people.

“Wouldn't you like…? Uh…” Henry felt a bit misplaced. “You know, practice a little with me?”

William raised his eyebrow, looking at him kind of puzzled. “Practice what?” William was sorting out his materials and some study notes that were on his bed. He was preparing for an important oral exam, having already taken the written part a week ago.

Henry was sitting in his desk chair, staring at his friend. “About your exam…” Henry answered somewhat embarrassed. Although he was doing it indirectly, he was not used to asking for help.

Henry never saw William nervous when he had to give presentations to people or teachers that, clearly in that situation, would intimidate Henry. Why did William seem so calm in a situation like that? Why didn't nerves penetrate him like _AT ALL_? How did he do it? Henry thought that, despite his embarrassment in asking, he might learn something to help manage his nerves.

William didn't know exactly what Henry wanted, but he could kind of feel what Henry was looking for. “I don't think I need to practice,” he replied, wanting to see if his friend was going to insist.

“But, d-doesn't it make you feel nervous?” he asked, hoping William would agree.

William simply shook his head. “Nope,” he added.

Henry looked down, knowing there wasn't much else to convince him. He really wanted to observe his behavior and learn from it, but he didn't like the idea of asking for it, he felt like it was too much. He sighed softly and tried to get back on that book he had paused earlier.

“But, um…” William uttered, trying to get Henry's attention again. Which he obtained easily. “Perhaps I could do a demonstration for you,” he said, knowing it was more for Henry than for himself.

Henry simply smiled and turned his head towards his friend, feeling pleased with how soft he was able to be with him.

William left his materials and notes on his bed and walked over to Henry. He bent in front of him and looked him into his eyes. “I'm only going to present if you tell me why you want me to.” He tried to corner Henry and be direct, wanting to dig a little deeper and maybe be closer to him, even more than they already were.

“I just want you to do it well and… I thought practicing could… polish up what you already have.”

That definitely didn't match the vibes that William felt from Henry. William's face changed from serious to incredulous, raising his eyebrows in response. “I'm not going to buy that, Henry,” he said. “It makes me feel quite insulted that you think I'm capable of believing that. Don't lie on my face.”

Henry's gaze was detached from William's eyes, directing it to the side and feeling embarrassed. “Sorry, William… it's just…” he said but paused for a moment, only to swallow. “Just… I'd like to be able to present the way you do,” he admitted. “I-I don't know how you do it…”

William could feel the honesty in his words, mostly because of the shame that lay between them. He stroked Henry's cheek gently, trying to get his gaze back at him. “You don't have to lie to me, okay?” he said gently. “I would never judge you for asking for my help.”

Henry looked into William's eyes, feeling his heart fill with pure, tender warmth. “I didn't want to lie to you…” Henry said, stroking William's hand. “I just… I didn't know how to ask it.”

William's smile appeared again, in a sweet and understanding way. “Just try not to get so entangled… If you want something, you just ask, nobody is going to say no. Well,” he laughed softly, “at least I wouldn't say no.”

Henry smiled back at his friend, loving his sweet words and feeling like he was able to soften with him. In fact, he never felt so safe and comfortable with someone. William, even though he didn't quite understand Henry, he was trying, trying to understand him. Always being open and letting him know that everything was okay and just getting mad and direct when he felt it was necessary.

William got up, only to sit at Henry's desk, crushing his notebooks with his butt. “Let's see,” he said as he reflexed a little. William never had problems presenting in front of people, he never cared about people's opinions. “I know you care about what people think, but I think the best thing is not to think about what they will say.”

Henry softly frowned. “How do you do that? When you present it's to… expect feedback in some way, isn't it?”

“Look, at least I don't care. _It's useless_ ,” he said with a slight shrug. “I tell you that if _**I**_ feel confident that my work is interesting and excellent, I know that others will believe the same, regardless of whether objectively it is complete rubbish.”

“But if it's bad, people are going to know it is, right?” Henry said, wondering if the value under the objective eye mattered.

“Not if you present it as the best thing in the world,” William said, grinning mischievously. “The subjectivity of your audience _doesn't matter_ , what really matters is _yours_. If you see your project as the best, explain it as the best and let others see it as _**you**_ see it, they will eventually see it that way, _as the best_.”

Henry took his pencil and began taking notes on a new sheet of paper. William's words could be of real use, maybe he could practice thinking about all that.

“ _In exchange_ ,” William decided to continue, “if what you do is present an idea waiting for an opinion from the other side, the only thing you are going to get is that they see it _objectively_ , which is only going to help you if the idea has a very good practical potential.”

Henry stopped for a moment and raised his eyebrow. “Practical potential?” he asked. “Ohh, I think I understand. So… that's why…” he paused only to let out a soft laugh. “I'm sure you know when people buy things that are not useful but are there, _just in case_.” That was a really good opposite case!

William laughed softly, feeling happy that Henry was hooked and knew how to identify the theory being in use. “ _Exactly_ , good publicity does a lot of the work. And what you have to do, with that little mouth, your brain and your common sense, is to sell _your vision_ of what you are presenting. Even if it's a lie. Just firmly try to convince yourself of that and you can convince anyone.”

Henry's gaze drifted away from his paper, looking at William. He knew it was pure theory and it had all the logic in the world, at least he was convinced. “You make it seem like it's the easiest thing of all…” he said, smiling a little, feeling a bit happy of knowing a few of his secrets.

His friend tilted his head to the side, looking away. “And…” he said and looked at him again, “it is for me,” admitted. “I think it's just practice. I'm sure that if you do it you will improve little by little.” William then got up placing his feet back on the floor. He moved Henry's chair away from the desk, wanting him to get up as well. “Get up, stand against the wall and try… um… try to explain to me that chocolate milk is better than coffee.”

“N-Now?” Henry said getting up. “Pfft, but what is that idea?” He laughed a little. “I can't do that, William!” He laughed more. “You know I can't betray coffee like that.”

William decided to push him a bit and bowed his head. “Come on…” he said, lowering his voice, trying to be persuasive with him.

Henry smiled slightly through his teeth. “Okay,” he replied, scratching his head a little. “But at least let me prepare a good defense. I-I can do it during class and in my free time to… present it to you at night. Would that be okay with you?”

William nodded. “I'm going to be waiting for it so you're not going to save yourself,” he said before smiling back, looking at him serenely.


	4. Codependency

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> William kisses Henry while he is asleep.

They both got used to sleeping together from the day they hugged, spending most of the afternoon sleeping. They just couldn't leave each other. They were so comfortable.

Little by little, they began to normalize their caresses and cuddles, passing them off as something friendly. Henry could easily believe it, he thought they had a very _close friendship_. Neither of them had ever had close friends before. On the other hand, William knew for sure that those cute caresses were part of something **_romantic_**. William was able to recognize what he was feeling. In fact, he never felt in love before, but he did know what attraction felt like.

He could feel reciprocity from Henry even though he tried to hide it and deny it. It didn't bother William though. He just thought he needed time to figure it out. _It was hard to think that you could like a guy in that way after all_.

It was dawn. The soft rays of the sun hit the window and consequently part of their cozy dorm. Both of them were in Henry's bed, cuddling and in need of each other's warmth. William opened his eyes, seeing Henry once more. It filled his heart with tenderness, loving to be able to see him again. Wake up and know that he would be there next to him.

He slowly readjusted himself, trying not to wake Henry up. He admired his face for a few moments, seemed to be sleeping well. Gently, William leaned down to kiss Henry's lips, knowing that he wouldn't correspond to the kiss while he's asleep. It filled his soul to be able to kiss him every morning, it made him feel sweet and warm like never before. Although he would like Henry to know…

William's fingers gently ran through Henry's hair, stroking it. Not caring if he woke him up.

Henry groaned softly and changed the direction of his head, keeping his eyes closed and settling himself.

William sweetly smiled and leaned back only to feel those lips once more. His heart pounded when their lips met. Sometimes William couldn't believe that something as silly as putting his mouth together with someone else's could make him feel so… complete since he was always empty. Although, it was not just someone, but _Henry_. He stopped being just someone for William at the moment he began to feel empathy with who he was, knowing that they were both _incomplete and lacking in direction_.

After a few moments, William let him go, parting his lips and already missing them. He gently slid his hand away, touching Henry's and intertwining their fingers delicately. He just wanted to be able to feel him a little more.

William kissed his forehead gently, took off his hand and sat on the edge of the bed, then stretched his body and gave a big yawn. Henry was possibly going to wake up soon, so he decided to go ahead and maybe bring breakfast for both of them.


	5. Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry and William clarify what they feel.

Everyone believed that Henry was just a sad person, lonely as a result. Of course, Henry is not someone special, nobody has to inquire so much about him. But no one bothered to really know him. Knowing him at the point of discovering that he was someone very passionate and lively when he could, especially when he didn't feel pressured at all

William was able to see that side, seeing that in reality, we are all complex in some way. Sometimes not everything is as it appears at first. It made him feel happy and special to be the only person Henry shared that side of him with.

Henry's reason told him that they were just very good friends because they were extremely comfortable with each other and they used each other as therapists when needed. However, his heart and his emotions spoke, he wanted to be by William's side as soon as he could, starting to feel that he wanted to be closer to him and be as important to him as he already was to Henry.

Henry was alone in his dorm and the only light that was on was over his desk. Henry was trying to distract himself with some homework. He was waiting for William more than anything, as the night was getting closer he knew he was coming back soon. He loved his company, but couldn't do more than wait for him.

William's feet stopped in front of the closed door of their dorm. Really questioning whether or not he should come in. Did he want to see Henry? _Yes_. Did he want to break as soon as he felt his warmth? _No_. He knew that as soon as he hugged him and felt his tender compassion, he would start crying. William swallowed hard and still decided to face it.

Henry heard the noise from the door and turned his head just to confirm that it was… _Yes, it was him_. Henry smiled and left the homework to then focus on his friend. “What were you doing that you were so late~?” Henry said, trying to tease a little. They both used to softly tease each other, it was always kind of funny.

William gave a single dry laugh and walked into the dorm, closing the door behind him and not even turning on the lights. He wanted to hide it, he wanted to be able to hide. He didn't want to worry Henry but he couldn't, he didn't feel like doing it, one of the few times in life that he didn't want to pretend. He was too tired to try to hide it. He dropped his bag on the floor and lay down on his bed, making it obvious that he wasn't as well as ever.

Henry wasn't that good at reading body language, but what he saw was obvious even to him. “What's wrong?” Henry asked, leaving his desk to go over William. He got to his knees, resting his arms on the edge of his friend's bed, trying to create some closeness. “ _I-I'm here if you want to talk about it,_ ” he said smiling lightly, trying to comfort him.

William's eyes connected with Henry's. Empty eyes that began to get watery, to the point that the tears were overflowing, starting to fall on their own.

Henry had never seen him cry. He was always the one who cried, not William. The swapping of roles scared him. “ _No, no, no_ …” Henry murmured as he moved closer, wrapping his arms around his friend and giving him a warm hug. He had never comforted someone crying before, but he tried to think of the stuff that William said when he was the one comforting him. “E-Everything is fine… You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to,” he said with his voice turning shaky. “I'm here if you need me… William.”

William gently pushed Henry away just to sit on the bed, stifling his crying and wiping his tears with his shirt sleeves but being unable to stop them. He looked at Henry, embarrassed that he wasn't able to keep his composure. He spread his arms slightly towards him, begging for a hug.

Henry could understand what he wanted even if he didn't mention it. He climbed onto the bed and hugged him tightly. It hurt his soul to see him so… down. Even making him tear, causing his throat to close and being unable to speak normally.

“ _I just had a rough day…_ ” William murmured. He wrapped his arms around Henry, burying his head on his shoulder. He wanted to forget his day. He really had to verbally fight with almost everyone. Students, teachers and even the dean. It wasn't something he took personally, not at all, he was someone too self-centred to allow anyone to hurt him. William was raging all day and dealing with fights that were… absurd to him. Feeling Henry's loving touch made his heart tender, feeling _moved_ to own a safe place with him, a place to go when he simply wanted to run away from everything. He just felt fed up and tired. His day was too noisy and all he wanted was a quiet space, which he, fortunately, had in his dorm with Henry.

On the other hand, Henry just wondered what could have happened. He knew that William was someone very strong compared to him. He knew that things didn't easily affect William as they could affect him harshly.

“ _Sorry, Henry_ …” William murmured as he hugged him. He felt somewhat unsure of showing that kind of weakness to him. It was strange and misplaced to a degree to him. Despite Henry doing it without doubts thanks to the trust they both had, William just couldn't let his guard down that easily. It was hard for him. “ _You don't see me… differently for showing me like that, do you?_ ”

Henry broke the hug just to connect their gazes, gently caressing William's arms. “William…” he said softly. “ _You saw me in my worst moments… I-If you don't see me any different, I won't see you differently_ ,” he murmured, trying to smile a little. “You always manage to calm me down when I feel like I'm going to burst into tears… or when I'm shaking and you're there… or when I just need a hug from you. You are always there for me, in whatever I need,” he said smiling, starting to wipe his friend's tears with his fingers, caressing one of his cheeks. “Who would I be without you?”

William's trembling gaze tried to stay in one place, in Henry's eyes. Unintentionally it would go down for moments, looking at his lips. It was the moment? _It never was_. But his sweet words softened him to the point of wanting to kiss him, while he was awake, probably causing him to hate him, but William thought that nothing else could go wrong on such a shitty day. “Henry, um…” he said softly. “ _Could you close your eyes?_ ” Something strange that Henry never thought he would ask for. It was just a weird request.

Henry, not caring how weird it was, agreed and closed his eyes. He began to close them tightly to make William understand that he wasn't cheating.

“ _You know I like you… right?_ ” William said, almost whispering. What William could see was very soft and pleasant, with the only light present coming from Henry's desk, both of them being almost surrounded by darkness. His heart spoke and was beating against his chest, making him smile and causing his hands to tremble slightly.

His friend nodded, knowing that William was probably looking at him. His heart was racing, feeling insecure and unaware of what William had in mind.

William gently took one of Henry's hands. The closer he got to him, the more he squeezed his hand. William finally squeezed him tight as soon as their lips met. With courage and shyness, he placed something complicated and very heavy on the table: _**He loved Henry**_. William did care about Henry's opinions about it, he wanted to know what he thought. However, he liked the idea of throwing it straight and without entanglement, through simple action to understand: _A kiss_.

William could feel Henry's fright, however, Henry didn't move away. He just opened his eyes and saw William for a moment as they kissed. In a way, he was always expecting something like that, even if he wasn't aware of it. _He liked it, a lot_. Henry simply tried to correspond to the kiss, closing his eyes again and gently squeezing back his hand.

William parted his lips after a few moments, opening his eyes and looking at him. Soon he buried his forehead on one of Henry's shoulders, pulling their chests closer and wanting to rest from the poundings of his heart. Returning to take his hand softly, gently lacing his fingers together, saying nothing.

“ _William…_ ” Henry whispered, closing his eyes and trying to think clearly, _starting to feel guilty_. There was no specific reason, even though it felt good, all those caresses and cuddles began to have a different meaning for Henry. That kiss explained many things that Henry was able to tie together as soon as he realized it. They both fell slowly, together. Starting to depend on each other, being almost unable to separate if it weren't for their classes, even sleeping together almost every night, they just… were too attracted to each other. _It was all so obvious_ , he couldn't understand how he didn't realize it before. “ _This is not right_ ,” said Henry.

William pulled his head away from Henry's shoulder, already feeling his heart a little calmer after all that tension. He looked into his eyes and there was nothing left but to clear things up. “You don't like it?” William asked, knowing that wasn't the case but he wanted to see what Henry could answer.

“I-It's not that,” Henry replied. "But this is wrong."

William knew what he was referring to, but he didn't care and just preferred to keep asking, wanting to find a point of argument weakness. “Why?”

Henry looked away, yet he continued to hold William's hand. _He didn't want to leave him_. “You know we can't do this… We're two men.”

“ _And? Is there something wrong about it?_ ” he asked playing dumb, getting closer to him.

“ _William…_ ” Henry said before swallowing hard. “It's not natural and you know it.”

Finally, William had found something that maybe he could dig deep and make him change his mind. “Who says it's not natural?” He then reached over to give Henry a gentle kiss on the lips. “ _To me, it does feel natural…_ ”

Henry didn't mind the kiss, indeed, he liked it. Still, he wanted to insist, guilt was gnawing at him inside. “Everybody says it's not natural.”

William smiled softly. “What's natural, Henry?” he asked. “Something that is inherently part of or comes from nature, isn't it?” He said, searching for a deep answer. “Henry, we literally use clothes. Clothes aren't natural but we see them as such. Why do you say it is not natural then?”

Henry really had no way of answering but still decided to continue. “William, we just… can't. Although… _I would do it if you were a girl_.”

“ _But I'm not, Henry_ ,” William said, already feeling tired of Henry's insistence. He decided to get simple and straightforward. “Look, just answer me: _does it feel good?_ ”

Henry looked at him shyly, letting part of his bangs cover his eyes, nodding gently.

“ _You like it?_ ” William asked.

Again, he nodded.

“ _Would you like more?_ ”

One last time, he nodded.

William then got close to Henry, only to kiss his cheek as he held his hand. “That's all you need, okay?” he said, looking into his eyes warmly, brushing away the annoying bangs that intervened between their eyes. “We're not hurting anyone and no one has to know about us… We're just two roommates who get along. No more no less, what do you think?”

Henry didn't like the idea, to think that if they continued… they should hide it. It hurt him to think about it, but at that point, he already loved William, wanted to continue knowing him, be there for him and vice versa. It was something that made him too happy. Henry thought that if perhaps the happiness that the idea caused was bigger than the pain, then he would not mind trying, especially knowing that William would be by his side.

He released William's hand and gently grabbed his cheeks, bringing his face close to his and meeting their lips. After a few moments of melting their lips together, they both couldn't help but breathe relatively heavily, gasping for air as they looked at each other.

“ _I love you_ ,” William murmured as his heart was pounding from those passionate kisses. Thinking that he would never experience something like that with him.

Henry smiled sweetly, placing his hands on William's waist for comfort. He felt happy after having clarified everything and that little by little the guilt was fading on its own. “I love you as well,” Henry replied, pulling William closer and hugging him. Little by little, he began to tear. “ _You make me so happy_ …” he whispered, trying not to reveal his broken voice thanks to the tears. “ _I don't need anyone else's opinion, except yours_ …”

William simply hugged him back, ran one hand down his back and the other through his hair, stroking with his fingers and trying to make him feel more comfortable and accepted than he already was. William started kissing his lover's neck, wanting to spread some love there. Henry laughed softly and extended his neck a little, allowing those cute kisses to enter. William, luckily, had already completely forgotten about his shitty life.


End file.
